Have A Six Flags Day
by Don'tReadMyStories
Summary: Jackson wants to go to Good Charlotte concert. But, in order to do so, he has to come face-to-face with his greatest fear. Based on a true story.
1. Walk

I stepped out of Nathan's parent's minivan, which he'd borrowed, and looked out at the monster that stood in front of me. It seemed to laugh at me as it swung its victims around, threatening to let them go. I swallowed, leaning against the vehicle. All I heard were screams and cries as hands shot into the air to surrender to its control. I could feel the nervousness rising in my chest. I could hear my deep breaths over the shouts. I stared at the large object in front of me as it tempted me with a manipulating smile on its face that could make anyone crawl under a rock.

"Jackson," it said. It called my name some more with a slow and challenging voice. "Jackson? C'mon, Jackson. Hello?" Suddenly, the voice started to change into a higher pitch as I brought myself back to reality. "Jackson? You coming?"

I cleared my throat, looking around me. I could smell sunscreen. There were hundreds of cars stopped at the parking lot, crowding around me. The sky was blue, with no cloud in sight. The sun was hot and it beat down on me, but I still wore my gray hoodie. I squinted my eyes as I glanced at a tall digital billboard. I only caught the words "Bamboozle Roadshow 2010" before it changed to a screen that read "All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, and Good Charlotte".

"Are you okay?" Melissa was looking at me with concern on her face.

I took my eyes off of the billboard and looked at the girl next to me. "What?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No." My voice was off pitch as I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Everything's fine."

Melissa looked at me strangely-as if she didn't believe me. "It's gonna be okay, Jackson. This kind of stuff goes on all the time. Nothing's gonna go wrong. Alright?"

"Yeah."

"C'mon, guys," Eric called from several feet away. "Hurry up."

"You ready?" Melissa asked me.

"Yeah."

We jogged toward the group of teenagers, then started walking across the parking lot. There was a line of people next to a gate. They advanced down the sidewalk, parading toward the point of no return. We got into the line with them and followed.

I looked at the gate that was next to us and saw a sign that read "DANGER: DO NOT CROSS". It had barbed wire on it. I put my eyes straight ahead of me and fingered the cross around my neck. After a moment's thought, I tucked it underneath my shirt to keep from losing it. I pulled the left sleeve of my hoodie up to my elbow and placed my hands into the pockets on the front. I wriggled my feet around carefully so I wouldn't fall and make a total fool of myself. I didn't remember the last time that I'd tied or untied my shoes. But they felt secure.

"So we'll head back to the car at about…" Nathan looked at his watch to see that it was a little after ten. "…two so we can eat lunch."

For lunch, we each had a Lunchables Pizza. There was also Diet Coke, Mountain Dew, and water. All of this was resting inside of a cooler filled with ice.

"Where's the gate?" Taylor asked.

"Waaaaaay up there." Nathan pointed past the figures in front of us.

"What? That far?" Eric groaned.

"Yeah. It's like a ten minute walk."

"Well, it's a good thing that I wore tennis shoes today," the blonde said, looking down at her shoes.

"How are you wearing that jacket, Jackson? It's hot out here."

I just shrugged, lost in my thoughts.

Suddenly, creatures were thrown toward us-just a couple feet above us-shrieking as they were caught and pulled back into the air. I let in a quick breath and followed the victims with my eyes. I licked my lips nervously, then averted my eyes.

A few minutes later, we passed by a large beast. It was smaller than the other, but more frightening, for its path was furious. But, suddenly, I saw three of its many legs dance under the weight of the excelling soon-to-be casualties. My mouth dropped open a bit as I followed the prey's flight through the azure. My breath, once again, became the only thing I could hear. I felt dizzy. I tried to calm myself and act natural.

We soon reached the end of our journey and divided into separate lines. We each bought our tickets, then showed them to the man at the gate. I stood behind Melissa, who was getting her ticket checked, which means that I'm next. I took a shuttering breath, attempting to settle myself.

"Band, please."

I looked up at the man, then held up my wrist to show that I was wearing a pink band. When he nodded his consent, I took a step and passed through the entrance bars, which turned with a click, resetting itself for the next unlucky person to enter. There's no turning back now.

As I passed the man at the gate, he said, "Thank you. Have a Six Flags day."


	2. Log Jamboree

We'd just gotten past the gate and we were all already sweating.

"Log ride's first," Eric said, walking up a steep hill.

We followed, everyone agreeing. We got into a short line. I looked over and saw a sign that said "_Log Jamboree_".

"It's hot," Taylor complained as she put her hair into a bun.

She and Eric got into the first log together. In the next one was Daley, Lex, and Nathan.

When the next log came, I sat down in the already wet seat. I was in the back while Melissa was in front of me.

"Keep hands and feet inside of the ride at all times," a woman said. "Stay seated and enjoy the ride." She pulled a handle, which made the log start moving.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead. We started getting faster and faster-but not too fast, so it was okay. Speed wasn't really a problem anyway. It's just the falling part.

I looked back to see if we were out of the ride attendant's view. When I saw that we were, I stuck my hand in the water next to me, careful not to allow it to get smashed between the log and the small trail it followed. I splashed Melissa.

She squealed and turned to me. I looked away with innocence, glancing at the sky.

"Jackson!" she said so I'd look at her.

"I was just helping you cool off. You look hot."

"Well, you don't look so bad yourself."

We both laughed at her joke and splashed each other. I was getting soaked since I couldn't see when there was a good time to stick my hand into the water, and, when I did, she'd splash me in my eyes again. The ride started to go faster, and it got more bumpier as it twisted and turned. We saw a ride attendant at his waiting post just before the hill and stopped splashing. The log slowed as it hooked onto the hill and was pulled up.

I took a breath as we neared the top. Here we go.

"You ready?" Melissa said.

I didn't have time to answer, for the log pointed downward and we fell. I felt this huge pressure on my chest and I couldn't breathe. But it was soon over. We were splashed with a small wave of water, which didn't get us that wet. The boat followed its path and turned, then stopped. Melissa and I got out and walked up three steps, then started toward our friends, who were waiting for us at the end of this aisle.

"Whoa!" Eric exclaimed as we got there. "How did you get so wet?"

Melissa and I just looked at each other. We were soaked and dripping, our clothes plastered to our skin on some parts, depending on where we were hit with water. Our shoes squeaked when we walked. We both just shrugged.


	3. Monster Mansion

We'd been walking for ten minutes to look for one of Daley's favorite rides: _Monster Mansion_. She'd said that there weren't and hills or anything like that; it was just a boat ride. We all got into a surprisingly long line when we'd found it. But it didn't last too long.

In the first boat, Lex sat in the front while Nathan and Daley got into the back. They were on the left side of the woman that would pull the handle to make the boat go. We were on the right-'we' being Taylor and Eric, (who sat up front), and Melissa in I, (who were in the back).

The ride attendant let the other group go first. About a minute later, she looked at us and said, "Please, keep hands and feet inside of the boat at all times. Stay seated. Have a nice ride." She pulled the handle, and we were off.

We went through a tunnel, (which felt really good, for it was air conditioned), then turned to see a monster that was next to some stairs. She said something about making a monster face for the camera, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Our picture came up on a screen beside the monster, and we laughed at Eric, who was the only one that had made a face.

The ride continued, and we went through a pair of doors. We were met by tons of bubbles. I stuck my hand into the water and splashed Eric. He wiped himself off, surprised, then splashed back without turning around. He completely missed me and hit Melissa. She did the same back to him, but got Taylor a little wet. This was the beginning of a splashing fight.

After that was done, we continued to watch the monsters. We turned a corner and water sprayed from one side of the small river to the other. I stood up so I could get my head wet, followed by everyone else. We passed three of them, but I was the only one that could reach the last one, for I was the tallest. After that, we all sat back down, then continued the ride.

We turned another corner and saw a monster in front of a stand that said "_Kissing Booth. FREE_". Continuing the ride, there was something that looked like a chicken or what ever it was supposed to be. It held up a water hose and sprayed us as we passed.

Next, an alarm came on, and something told us to stay out of the marsh. Then we turned toward the 'marsh', and we were met by a hologram of a face that said, "Yes, yes. Right this way." Then it laughed evilly and we went through it. Everything went dark. I reached over to Taylor and gently touched her shoulder, causing her to scream and move closer to Eric. Melissa and I just laughed. We turned another corner and saw a huge…thing. I tried to reached out and touch it (I had a problem with always wanting to touch new things), but stopped when Melissa gently slapped my arm.

We turned yet another corner and saw two more monsters. One said, "Ready. Aim. Fire." And this light came on, which made Taylor jump. After that, some music came on and we went through some more doors, which put us in yet another dark tunnel. Some laughing came from an unknown source, but soon revealed itself as eyes and teeth hanging from the ceiling. Once it's lights popped on, it let out a sound that was sort of like a horn, which made Taylor jump…again.

We turned a small corner and met sunlight. The boat pulled up next to a dock.

The flight attendant said, "You can pick up your monster pictures at the _Monstore_ across from the exit. Hope you had a fun ride. Have a Six Flags day."

We could hear screams coming from the tunnel that we'd just came out of as the horn sounded again. We laughed as we walked down some stairs and found Daley, Nathan, and Lex waiting outside of the _Monstore_.


	4. Skybuckets

"Where do you think the concert's gonna be?" I asked.

"I don't know." Melissa said. She was sitting next to Lex in a sky bucket.

Daley, Eric, Taylor, and Nathan were in another one.

And I was doing pretty good to get on one of these. I glanced around me to see if I saw a stage, but accidentally looked down. I sighed, then pushed myself against the side of the bucket, then looked behind me, which was the way that we were going. I watched the rope above me that held the weight of many sky buckets and their inhabitants. I clenched my fists tightly as it started shaking unsteadily. We were exactly in the middle now.

"Jackson, this isn't that bad," Melissa said.

I looked below us again and saw some trees. "I can just picture us falling. I can see the ground right before I hit it."

"Well, if that ever happened, I figured out the safest way to go. I'd just stand up because it's better to break your legs instead of your butt bone. A fall like that could paralyze you if you hit your spine or something."

I took a shuttering breath, and Melissa exhaled.

"Jackson, that's not gonna happen. This thing has been here for years. It's gonna be okay."

I just shut my eyes and rested my head against the bar that outlined windows. My voice was soft and a bit desperate. "Every time I look around, all I'm thinking about is that everyone here's gonna die."

"Jackson," Melissa hissed.

I looked at her, and she glanced at the young boy beside her. "Sorry, Lex. I'm not trying to scare you or anything."

"It's fine," Lex said.

I didn't mind talking about being scared in front of Lex since he was like a brother to me.

When the sky bucket reached the end of its course, we got off and waited for the others. When they caught up to us, we started toward our next ride: the _Dahlonega Mine Train_.


	5. Dahlonega Mine Train

I took a seat, and Eric sat down next to me. Melissa was in front of me, and next to her was Lex. Taylor sat with Daley in the cart behind me, with Nathan after them.

I wanted to start out small and work my way up to the bigger roller coasters. But Eric didn't like that idea.

"Why do we have to ride this stupid roller coaster. It's for kids."

I ignored him. He's been giving me a hard time all day.

I swallowed when the ride attendant pushed the bar down over our legs, locking us in. After another minute, the ride started. We turned and went through a tunnel, then changed directions again and went up a hill. There was a ride attendant at the top on my side of the roller coaster. Then we started to drop. It wasn't that much of one, though. A smile managed to creep onto my face. We went up and down two small hills, then connected to a larger one, which started to pull us up. After that, we did some turns, then latched to another hill. When turned and gained speed, then went through a tunnel.

Melissa turned back to me with a smile. "Hold on," she said.

"What?" I said. The smile disappeared from my face as we fell into a darker tunnel. I couldn't breath or see. I squeezed the rail in front of me. But it wasn't that bad. It was actually…fun.

We did a quick turn out of the tunnel and slowed down back at the station. We got out after a ride attendant pulled the bars up.

As we exited, Melissa said, "How'd you like that one, Jackson?"

"You didn't tell me about that drop at the end."

"Well, then you wouldn't have wanted to ride."

I smiled. "It was fun."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Eric broke into our conversation. "Well, congratulations, Jackson. You just rode your first roller coaster."

"Second, actually."

"What was the first?" Melissa asked.

"When I was four or five I was forced to ride the _Scream Machine_."

"Pfft," Eric said and laughed. "That's a baby roller coaster. It's not even scary."

"It was to me."


	6. Thunder River

We walked past a sign that said that we had a sixty minute wait.

"Good thing there aren't that many people here," Nathan said.

A couple minutes later, we passed one that said that we had a thirty minute wait. We soon made it to the stairs, where there was a small line.

"You ready for _Thunder River_, Jackson?"

We'd decided to come here because we were all sweating again.

"Yup," I said.

There weren't any huge falls or anything like that so it was okay.

We climbed up some steps, then waited in a short line. We were all soon seated in a large round boat, which held all of us, plus some. Melissa and I sat next to each other. There was only one buckle, which we put across both of us, like it was supposed to be. I put my foot on the round silver bar in front of me. It was shaped in a circle.

The ride started and we went down a ramp and were placed in the water, where we soon started drifting off. The raft gained speed and bumped against the sides of its trail constantly, spinning us around.

I looked to my right to see a wave, which came and hit my side, soaking me. "D***, that's cold." I said it quietly so the kid and father on the opposite side of the boat couldn't hear me.

Melissa wasn't as wet, for I blocked the blow. We continued down the river until we came to a waterfall.

"I better not get stuck under that," Taylor said.

Her wish came true, for none of us were hit by the waterfall. We kept going, and water just dropped on all of us, causing Taylor to squeal. I looked to find it's source and saw some kids on a ledge spraying us. I didn't mind it though. It was just water. Plus, it was hot outside.

The ride soon came to an end and we all got off. We climbed some stairs and followed the path that led toward it's exit.

I suddenly remembered something and stuck my hand inside of my back pocket, pulling out a cell phone. Isn't it ironic that only the right side of my body got wet and the cell phone just so happened to be in my right pocket?

"I'm sorry, Mel."

She checked to see if her phone still worked. With this confirmed, she said, "It's okay."


	7. Lunch

We walked down a hill, which we've probably been up and down at least five time, and stopped at the water fountain, once again. After we each got some, we continued, heading for the concert. After five minutes, we found it. We saw the gate, but were stopped by a guy.

"Would you, please, sign our petition against McDonald's cruelty to animals." He spoke quickly, hoping to catch our attention before we moved along. "They burn their chickens alive when they de-feather them. We're trying to get enough signatures to get McDonald's to change their cruel treatment toward the chickens."

We each signed and were handed a sticker and pamphlet. The stickers either said "_McCruelty: I'm hatin' it_" or "_Unhappy meal_". The pamphlet had a picture of an evil-looking clown with a bloody knife in one hand. I put the sticker on the pamphlet and folded it, then put in into my back pocket.

We showed the man at the gate our pink bands, then went inside. We looked at the small stage with about ten or fifteen people crowding around it.

"Are you sure that this is where it is?" Taylor asked.

"The concert doesn't start until four or four-thirty," I said.

On the stage was some band that wasn't famous yet, but were trying to be. I don't know what that's called. Up-and-coming, maybe?

We stayed for a while, going around to the booths. One gave us stamps that said "_Streaker_". Another gave us CD's. After that, we went inside this blow-up 'igloo', which immediately made us cool off. We took a picture together-Taylor and Melissa posing with a scarf and Nathan with a snowboard. After that we got in line and got a cup of _Coke_. When we exited, we brushed the fake snow, (which had been falling), from our hair.

After a few minutes of just waiting around and listening to some music, Nathan said that we should head back to eat lunch. So we did.

We got into a trolley. I lifted my sleeve a bit to reveal my "_Streaker_" stamp. I spat on my arm, then rubbed. I gained several stares. Taylor looked at me with disgust.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked.

"Trying to get this off."

"Why?" Daley said slowly.

"Because I'm not gonna walk around advertising their product without getting paid for it. It's just a scam."

"But you're wearing your Six Flags band," Nathan said. "You're advertising that."

"It's not the same. Everyone here already has one."

We were walking toward the car when Eric handed me his phone.

"It's Ian," he said.

I took it. "S'up?"

"Why ain't you riding any roller coasters?"

"I did."

"Which one?"

"The _Dahlonega_."

"I meant one of the big ones. Why haven't you got onto one of those?"

"'Cause I'mma die." I said this in a joking manner, but it's truly what I felt.

Ian laughed, then talked to someone that was with him. "Did you hear him, Abby? He said that he was gonna die if he rode a roller coaster."

"It's gonna collapse and throw me across the park," I said defensively.

"That's a good thing."

"What?"

"'Cause then you can sue them for a lot of money."

"Well, I can't spend it if I'm dead."

"You won't die. You might just be paralyzed."

"I'll pass."

We soon arrived at the car.

"Whatever. It's your loss."

"I can live with that."

"I'll let you go. See you when you get back."

"Alright, man. See ya." I handed Eric his phone back.

We opened the trunk and went through the coolers, each pulling out a _Lunchables Pizza_ and water bottle. Taylor and Eric sat in the trunk. I got into the passenger's seat and Melissa was next to me. The others got into the unoccupied seats in the minivan.

"Is it cool yet?" Taylor asked.

Melissa checked the air conditioner, then said, "Yes."

Eric and Taylor closed the trunk, then started eating.

I turned on the radio, trying to find something on. I found Three Days Grace's _Riot_-one of my current favorite songs-on and kept it there. But it was just my luck that it was the end of the song. I turned the station and found Led Zeppelin, keeping it there. Then I ate.


	8. Mindbender

We'd started to leave for lunch at a little after one, and it was already three. We'd only eaten for twenty minutes, which means we spent the rest getting to and from the car. We, currently were waiting in the line to ride the _Mindbender_: the green roller coaster I'd seen when I'd arrived-the one that shook unsteadily. I was holding everyone's cell phones in my pockets.

"Are you scared?" Eric challenged.

I said nothing.

"What's the point in coming all the way to Georgia from LA if you're gonna be a baby and not ride anything?"

Again, I said nothing.

We'd taken a vacation together to Atlanta with Nathan's parents as our chaperones. His father was on a business trip and they figured that the whole family should go. They told him that he could invite us to come along, too.

"You sure, Jackson?" Melissa said.

"I'm positive."

The carts soon rolled up, and the inhabitants stepped out. Our gates opened. I got onto the roller coaster, then continued walking, stepped off of it. I went to the exit, then leaned against the banister with a nervous exhale.

The ride attendants checked to make sure that everyone was secure. The ride soon started. Melissa looked back at me and waved with a grin. I just faked a smile.

I hated being such a chicken. But Eric was right.

I'm the kind of guy that's brave and fearless…until it came to roller coasters. The whole reason that I was scared of them was based on a matter of control. I couldn't stand not being in control of what I do. Roller coasters constantly sling you around and drop you. I also had a problem with trust. How could I trust this mechanic object with my life? What if something goes wrong? It's not going to reach out its hand and let me grab it if I fall. Yeah, I ride in a car all the time. But it's not the same thing. The person that operates it is inside with you. And, for some odd reason, it makes me feel better to know that that person will die, too. I know, I know. I have a weird way of thinking.

I continued watching the roller coaster. Melissa sat next to Taylor this time. I observed them as they went up a hill. They turned a curb, dropped, then did an upside down loop. Taylor held on tightly to the bar in front of her while Melissa's hands were in the air. After that, they went through some trees and I lost sight of them. I swallowed, suddenly becoming worried. Water forced its way to my eyes, but I didn't let the tears fall. I tried to calm myself down as they soon reappeared through some trees. But, when they dropped, I saw the ramp shake under them.

At that moment, everything seemed to slow down. My thoughts raced as I pictured the worst. My heart rose to my throat and pounded there. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as I wiped my eyes before someone could see the tears. After that, I continued to watch the victims fall to their death.


	9. Sling Machine

We stood in line at the _Sling Machine_, which was inside of a building. I hadn't said anything to the others about seeing the _Mindbender_ shaking, for they'd think that I was crazy and Eric would make fun of me even more. I was even starting to believe that my eyes were playing tricks on me, which was upsetting me because I hated being so scared.

The line was long, but we soon made it inside, just to be in another long line. It was dark. Large, white objects covered the ceiling, which was for decoration. I started to cool down as people spun quickly, allowing wind to hit me.

After waiting in line for two more groups, it was finally our turn. I sat next to Melissa. Our chair was connected to a big pole, which was coming from another one, which was in the middle. There were for of the smaller ones, and then four that branched off from each of those. Lex sat with Daley. Taylor was with Nathan, and Eric was by himself.

The ride soon started, and we gained speed. I was sitting on the outside of the seat. We were slung around, and it seemed like we'd hit the gate that held people behind it. For some odd reason, I couldn't stop laughing. I think I was the only one, for most others were screaming. I don't know how because this ride wasn't scary at all. But, then again, maybe it was to some. After all, I was scared of just about every other ride here.

The ride was short. Wonderful, huh? The one that I actually enjoyed didn't even last very long. When we came to a stop, I unhooked the bar that held us inside and stepped out, then I lent Melissa a hand and helped her out. We exited the building and instantly felt the hot sun.

"It's three-thirty," Nathan said after looking at his watch. "What time does the concert start?"

"Four or four-thirty. I'm not sure," I said.

"I guess we should go ahead and go over there, then."


	10. Not Famous

We went through the gates and looked to see who was on the stage. It was yet another infamous band. There were only a could of people in front of the stage, so we decided to stop inside of the 'igloo' and get another round of cokes, hoping that we could go in again. Either the person didn't remember us (which I'm sure that he did because I was the only one in this whole park that was wearing a jacket), or we were allowed inside more that once.

After that, we got in front of the stage, distanced a bit because we weren't really into the music. I don't think anyone here was. When four o'clock came around, we decided to ask when Good Charlotte would play. They were the only reason I'd came. They're my favorite band. But no one seemed to know. So we just continued to listen to music.

The curly, black-headed singer spoke into the microphone. "You guys are so f***ing awesome, especially the few fifteen people or so gathered at the stage. Those of you at the booths are to. You're all so f***ing amazing."

I didn't understand why he thought it was cool to cuss. And I didn't know that they could at Six Flags. But whatever.

The guy continued. "So we're gonna play one last song for you before we go. It's actually not our song. It's _High and Dry_ by Radiohead. Enjoy."

I was surprised at this, for I liked the song. Music began playing and the guy started singing. I did, too, along with Melissa, for she'd heard the song plenty of times around me. I went closer to the stage, then was followed by the others in the group.

The singer changed the rhythm of the song a tiny bit, but it was easy to catch on. I don't think anyone else at the stage knew the song, for only the seven of us were singing it.

The song was soon over and we moved over toward a concession stand, hanging out on the side of the tent. We were all sweating again, so we took a seat on the concrete and waited for the current band to leave and the next one to come.

It was currently 4:10. After five minutes, a voice came over the microphone.

"Thank you guys for being so patient. You can check out the booths while we wait. I know there are some free CD's and posters. Just go see what they got. We'll have the last band ready to perform in a few more minutes."

At this, we all looked around the stage, but found another infamous band.

"You think we missed them?" Melissa said.

"I don't care," said Eric. "I don't like them anyway."

We followed Nathan as he went to a woman at the concession stand and asked if Good Charlotte had already performed. She didn't know, so we asked a guard. He didn't know either. We looked at the people standing in the middle of everything and though about asking them, but figured that they were too busy controlling the sounds, for the last band had started playing. After two minutes, we found another guard and asked him. And he knew the answer.

"They are in a different show on the other side of the park. It's near the bungee jumping thing." He pointed to two tall poles in the sky.

"Okay. Thanks," Nathan said.

We all hurried toward the _Fearless Freeps Dare Devil Skycoaster_, hoping that the concert didn't start until four-thirty, for it was already four-twenty.


	11. Concert

"I don't hear any music," Daley said. "I think we missed it."

We continued to glide through the crowds of people, ignoring the aches in our feet from walking all day. We went around a building and saw a few booths with band merchandise. I noticed that one said Good Charlotte. It was on the very end. We continued toward a large crowd of people and came to a large stage with the letters "_GC_" in the background.

A sudden rush of excitement went though me as we cut through the cluster and got as close as we could (just a couple feet away from a gate, which was a little over five feet from the stage). We were on the right side, which is where we entered from.

There were people setting up the stage with equipment. This took about ten minutes. But the band members soon walked out onto the stage, setting off several screams from the audience.

"What's up Hotlanta?" Joel Madden said.

There were more cheers.

I never really understood the whole "Hotlanta" thing. Honestly, the name sounds kind of asinine to me. But whatever.

After a short moment, Benji Madden, the lead guitarist, started strumming. Soon enough, Joel started singing the opening lyrics to "_The Anthem_". Everyone cheered and sang along.

"D***, it's hot," Joel said after "_Girls And Boys_", "_The Young And The Hopeless_", and "_I Just Wanna Live_". "This next song is for anyone who has ever been in love and had their heart broken."

Everyone cheered as the band began to play "_Dance Floor Anthem (I Don't Wanna Be In Love)_".

_She's going out to forget they were together  
All that time he was taking her for granted  
She wants to see if there's more  
Than he gave she's looking for_

_He calls her up  
He's trippin on the phone now  
He doesn't want  
__Her out there and alone now  
He knows she's movin it  
Knows she's using it  
Now he's losing it  
She don't care_

_Everybody put up your hands  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Feel the beat now  
If you've got nothing left  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
__Back it up now  
You've got a reason to live  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Feelin' good now  
Don't be afraid to get down  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love_

Joel walked toward the side of the stage closest to us, then stepped onto a speaker to get in reaching distance of the front row. At this, everyone rushed forward to touch his hand, pushing us into a crowd.

Melissa was taking pictures with her cell phone, but she couldn't really see what she was getting in the shot because she had to hold the phone high so people wouldn't block it. She was standing to my right and somehow managed to squeeze to my left before the song was over. She was trying to get a picture of Billy Martin, her favorite.

The audience was jumping up and down when Joel sang the chorus again. I didn't, though, because I probably would have fallen with all these people pushed up against me and because I'm just not that outgoing no matter where I am.

When the song was over, Joel started talking as he came to the stop in front of us. "How many of you have never came to any of our concerts before?"

Most of the crowd yelled.

"Was it fun?"

The cheers were louder.

"So, before we leave-" Joel started pulling his pants up a bit "Hold on. My pants are falling down." After he fixed them, he continued. "Anyway, before we leave, we want to tell you that _Cardiology _will be coming out in September. So we're gonna play a song from that album."

They began playing a song called "_Like It's Her Birthday_".

At the end of "_Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous_", two members of another band cam out on stage and sang the chorus with Joel. I think they were from All Time Low. I don't know. I never listened to their music.

Good Charlotte soon exited the stage. Daley, Lex, Nathan, Eric, Taylor, Melissa, and I squeezed through the crowd to get through the exit since the only reason we were here was to see Good Charlotte. We were all sweating to we stopped by a water fountain, then went to Skull Island and played in the water, which made my feet sore because the ground was pokey. But we stood under a huge bucket of water and waited until it poured down on us and soaked us. That was fun.

We left after about ten minutes, grabbing our shoes out from where we hid them behind a garbage can.

"So did you enjoy the concert?" Melissa asked me as we sat next to each other in the back seats.

"Yeah," I smiled.

"Were you excited about seeing Good Charlotte?" Daley asked.

"Not yet."

"Not yet?" Eric asked. "What do you mean, '_Not yet_'?"

"It's gonna take some time to sink in. It could take hours. It could take weeks. The Panic! At The Disco concert only took an hour to sink in when I went to it a couple years ago. So I'll probably be sleeping when Good Charlotte sinks in and I'll miss the excitement part."

Everyone stared at me like I was crazy. Even Nathan was looking at me through the mirror.

"My mind works weird," I said innocently with a shrug.

"It was so crowded out there," Taylor said. "When the singer started touching people's hands everyone moved forward. Then they started jumping up and down and a girl was jumping in front of me while another one was grinding my back."

We laughed at this.

"It was gross."

The rest of the way home was mostly talk about what happened at Six Flags, what song to play on the radio, and just plain small talk.

I actually had fun. I mean, yeah, maybe I didn't get on a big roller coaster. But I did ride the _Dahlonega_. That's a start. Maybe I'll ride the others one day. Who knows?


End file.
